Three Irish tourists are feared dead today following a minibus crash in north-western Croatia which claimed six lives.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has so far only been able to confirm that two Irish were hurt in the crash near the village of Medaki, in the Istria region, around 90 miles from the capital, Zagreb.
It is understood that two Belgian tourists and the Croatian driver were killed when the bus collided with a truck yesterday afternoon.
An Irish woman in her 40s is believed to have been seriously injured but her condition is not thought to be life-threatening.
"We know there were some fatalities but we are not in a position to confirm if there were any Irish fatalities as the victims have not been identified yet."
Officials in Dublin have been briefed on the accident by consular staff from the Irish Embassy in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
A Department of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman later confirmed it had been given the names of two Irish tourists who were involved in the crash but the Croatian authorities have yet to confirm if they were killed or injured. Government officials in Dublin have been in touch with the families of the pair but no further details have been released. The spokeswoman said the Croatian Police are still working to establish the identities of the victims.
The tourists were on a day trip from the seaside resort of Pula to Porec at the time of the tragedy.
They were also due to cross the border into Slovenia to see the famous caves at Postojna. Croatia has become an increasingly popular destination for Irish tourists, with an estimated 40,000 people travelling there last year.
"We believe there were Irish citizens travelling in the van but our officials in the Irish Embassy in Ljubljana in Slovenia are checking with the authorities in Croatia but have not yet confirmed any details."
Police said the injured are being treated in local hospitals. It is believed the van was ferrying the tourists on a day excursion when it collided with the lorry.